I was reading an article on sport rider on downshifting and "blipping" the throttle. it said that downshifting smoothly on a sportbike, especially while braking hard from high speed, requires a definite measure of skill. it also said that in order to aviod upsetting the bike, the engine rpm must be matched to road speed when the clutch is fully disengage, otherwise the rear tire will momentarily "chatter" and upset the bike as the engine is forced to match road speed involuntarily. i experianced this situation when i first started conering and the consequenses for not knowing these steps took me straight for a smack down , but with a little help from magazines and more riding experiance I've kept up...any one out there have more tips for riding in corners?

 

Look through the corners and trail brake if necessary. Magazine probably told you everything else. Best way is to go out and practice.

 

Look where you want to go. Easy to say, hard to do! Trust in your bike's cornering ability. When you're in the turn, use only the inside hand to make any adjustments (push more/less). Your outside hand should be just along for the ride.

Don't worry about downshifting and rev-matching - just work on being smooth. That racer-stuff will come eventually. As long as you've got the throttle cracked open a bit (ie, forward momentum), it won't matter what gear you're in during a turn. Get all your braking and body-positioning done before you enter the turn. The less you move around on the bike, the more stable it remains.

Of course, if you've got a slipper clutch, then by all means bang down through the gears.

 

You probably know by now that engine braking is corner friendly. Do all your braking(front/back braking)/downshifting before the turn, and stay on throttle the whole turn(not necessarily accelerating, steady throttle to the apex, accelerate through). You also want to get all of your turning done as early as possible, so you spend more time accelerating, not compensating. If you let off the throttle, it will slow the bike down, but it will also tend to "fall" more into the turn. Its not a bad thing, just be prepared for it. You can also ride the front brake as you start to lean, just gradually release the further you lean. As was said earlier, look through your turn. If you are staring at an obstacle, you will hit it, thats just the way it works on a motorcycle. If you find that you are trying to turn, but you are still going straight, look somewhere else, you will be amazed how quickly you start turning after that Last but not least, have fun! Its a requirement on a bike . . .

 

In short, on the street that isn't a good idea. You don't leave yourself any margin for error, or something unexpected.

You best bet is to downshift before the turn and be in the right gear to carry you through the exit and accelerate out.

In the interest of of always pushing the envelope though I can understand pushing it a bit, so I would highly recommend to you and everyone else reading this to pick up a copy of David Hough's 'Proficient Motorcycling'. That should be considered mandatory reading for any rider.

Cheers,
Sean

 

If you want to learn trail braking then go to a school on the track. Like roy said, its just a bad idea to do on the street let alone try to learn. Get you braking done before the turn and rev matching is always a good idea, especially on inline 4 motors where there is so much engine braking.